In December 2013 the Ministry of Defence announced it was selling off RM Turnchapel in Plymstock, Plymouth because it was surplus to requirements. The site, which is made up of three hectares of land and three hectares of river bed, was acquired by Yacht Havens Group with the company announcing it would be running the site alongside its other Plymouth premises: Plymouth Yacht Haven, Yacht Haven Quay and Blagdons Business Park.
Since then, a remarkable transformation has taken place. RM Turnchapel has become Turnchapel Wharf and is equipped with everything a modern business needs including office, laboratory and workshop space over two floors in the Victorian warehouses plus modern commercial workshop buildings and the reassurance of 24/7 CCTV and manned security and the practicality of free car parking. For marine businesses there is also commercial alongside berthing with deep water access throughout the tide plus a careening grid for low tide berthing and inspections, a large NATO spec concrete slipway, a 50 ton travel hoist, outdoor boat, trailer and equipment storage and extensive communal facilities. The pontoons have electricity and water and there is fuel bunkering from a tanker.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the site is proving extremely attractive and a mixture of international names and local businesses are preparing to take or have already taken possession. In fact, the majority of space has already been let, with only a few units still available.
The site’s tenants include Fugro Academy, Rame Energy PLC and, most notably, Princess Motor Yacht Sales. Princess required a modern centre for its comprehensive service to Princess owners, including yacht servicing, maintenance, custom fitting and parts. Their new premises include a state-of-the-art service centre plus meeting spaces, offices, extensive workshop, parts warehouse and large showroom. Joanne Davies, Marketing Manager for Princess Motor Yacht Sales comments, “Utilising the large concrete slipway, extensive pontoon space and travel hoist, plus ample space in the service yard we are able to carry out intensive maintenance work on site. Our investment has given us a dedicated hub from which all servicing and maintenance can be co-ordinated, resulting in an increasingly efficient service for yacht owners”.
While being home to some international names, Turnchapel Wharf is also home to smaller, local businesses. These include AquaMare, a company that offers sales and support to the marine industry. The company relocated to Turnchapel Wharf in April 2015 and director Mike Sommerfeld is clear why. “It’s a waterside site and the facilities such as the slip, the hoist and the boat storage gives us everything our business needs at a very good rate”.
Plymouth is one of Europe’s most vibrant waterfront cities and the economic powerhouse of Devon and the South West, not to mention a national centre of excellence in marine science and technology. As such, it’s a prime location for any marine business. And as so many companies have already realised, there are few locations better to do business in the city than Turnchapel Wharf.
